1. I hear you have a pet in your novel. Tell us about the book.

Falling for the Deputy is a fish-out-of-water, an enemies-to-lovers and a second-chance romance story, where a Boston banker moves to a small town in Georgia after a series of personal tragedies. The move is good for her career, and she hopes it will give her time to recover in a different environment.

Blurb: After losing at love twice, Barbara Wilton needs a change, some place far from her home in Boston, so she takes a position as manager of a small branch bank in Willow Ridge, Georgia. She’s done with relationships and ready to concentrate on her career. The experience in Willow Ridge will help her move forward in the banking industry, but she doesn’t plan to stay there permanently. Nevertheless, an invitation to join the Hopeless Romantics book club, a position on a planning committee, helping a little league team that needs coaching, and being adopted by a stray dog begin to wind her into the community.

Chris Harper was a police officer in Charlotte until his marriage fell apart. With his mother and elderly aunt in deteriorating health, Chris returns home to Willow Ridge to help them and takes a job as chief deputy to the local sheriff. The wound left by his failed marriage is still raw and, despite his mother’s nagging, he’s not interested in pursuing any relationship, even with the attractive new bank manager.

Fate, helped by a few local residents, conspires to push Barbara and Chris together. They meet during a false alarm at the bank and then he assists her with a car problem. But when his aunt receives a foreclosure notice on her house, Chris is angry with Barbara for not warning him that his aunt was behind on her payments.

She agrees to help him work out the problem with the bank, but the deeper issues between them keep flaring. Can two wary, wounded people learn to trust again and find happiness together? Find out in this sweet, second chance, enemies to lovers romance.

The Hopeless Romantics of Willow Ridge series are sweet, small-town contemporary romances. Each book is a standalone and can be read individually or as part of the series.

Buy Falling for the Deputy here.  (It’s also free to read in Kindle Unlimited)

The entire Hopeless Romantics of Willow Ridge series is here.

2. Why did you add a pet to this book? 

Part of Barbara’s embrace of life in small-town Willow Ridge comes when she finds a stray dog. She can’t abandon him, but when she learns the local shelter isn’t a no-kill one, she knows she can’t leave him there either. Despite her ignorance of caring for pets, she agrees to foster him. To her surprise, she finds in him a warm companion and comfort in hard times.

In some ways, her relationship with Mookie mirrors Barbara’s adjustment to the town of Willow Ridge: hesitant approach at first, willing to try to make the best of it, starting to get attached, the realization of the virtues, and finally a full embrace of the town when she decides to adopt the dog.

I used to have pets: a dog, Gremlin, that I adored, a cat, a parakeet, a rabbit, and numerous hamsters. The dog was mine, but the rest of them belonged to my children. They’re all long gone now.

3. What other books have you written?

I’ve written a lot more books than have been published, but since my first book came out from Avalon books in 1989, I’ve had somewhere around three dozen novels and novellas published (some under a pen name).  I write across many genres, including mystery, fantasy, romance, paranormal, and romantic suspense. Many of my books can be categorized in more than one genre. My romances generally include a mystery and my fantasy and paranormal novels include romance and suspense.

   

My most recent books before Falling for the Deputy include three short romances that are part of the No Brides Club Series, and the second book in the Market Center Mysteries series, Wired for Murder. (The third book of that series, Playing at Murder, was originally scheduled for this month but has been pushed back to fall.) I also have had a number of short stories in various anthologies and various genres.

You can learn more about my books at my website: https://www.kmccullough.com

4. Tell us about your kudos or reviews.

Over the years, I’ve been a semi-finalist in the Writers of the Future contest, a finalist in the Daphne, Prism, Lories, Epic ebook awards (four times), Rising Star, Dream Realm, and International Digital Awards. I’ve won an Epic ebook award, Vixen award and most recently, the Bould Award for best short story.  My books have a lot of five-star reviews and my short romance, No Time for Surprises, was an Amazon number #1 Bestseller.

5. How do you promote your books?

Badly. I do have a presence on social media and I actively promote (in a low-key way) on Facebook, Pinterest, and my own blog. I used to do a lot of Amazon advertising, but lately the cost has risen so much it’s hard to get a decent return on the investment.

6. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?

Website: https://www.kmccullough.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenMcCulloughAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgmccullough

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kgmccullough/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kgmccullough12/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Karen-McCullough/e/B0043TJ870/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/karen-mccullough

Blog: https://kmccullough.com/kblog/

 

From Marcia: Thank you, Karen, for being my June interviewee! I love discovering romances that feature pets, so I look forward to reading your books!

MONTHLY BLOG EBOOK CONTEST! Would you like to win a Marcia James’ ebook? Visitors to this pro-pet blog can join in the fun, comment, and/or share photos of their pets for a chance to win one of my ebooks! Each month, I’ll randomly pick one commenter to win. To leave a comment and/or a photo, click on the word “Reply,” which is just below the social media icons for THIS interview. (Don’t scroll past this interview to the next interview.) Go Pets!